Employment Practice

Employees who are called up for active service in the Armed Forces, under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985, are entitled to resume their employment on their return - effectively their contract continues during their service. Obligations Most employees protected by the law covered by this section are volunteers. However, recently whenever there has been a need to use such volunteers, their participation in active service has been made compulsory by the State so that it is clear that their rights are protected under the above Act. There is no obligation on the employer to pay for the time away from work - the reservist will be paid by the State during that period. On returning from service, a reservist must re-apply to his or her employer in writing by the third Monday after the end of the service, giving a date within the period ending with the sixth Monday after the end of the service for return to their previous job. The reservist must be taken back on terms no le...

Until fairly recently the number of instances in which an employer was liable to pay an employee when he was not working were few - e.g. time off to seek other work and/or be trained when redundant was virtually the only instance for many years. Since then a whole range of rights to both paid and unpaid leave have been introduced. Holidays All employees are entitled to receive 4 weeks paid holiday within their employers holiday year. This statutory holiday must be taken within the holiday year to which it relates and can neither be carried forward, nor be paid in lieu (except where the employees leaves during the holiday year with unused entitlement). Statutory holiday can be offset against paid contractual holiday to which an employee is entitled. Sickness Subject to the production of an acceptable self-certificate for the first seven days (and the production of certificates from a medical practitioner for periods in excess), employers are responsible for paying Statutory Sick Pay for...